Gregory Tony

Gregory Tony is an American law enforcement officer who serves as the 17th Sheriff of Broward County, Florida.

This article is about American law enforcement officer. For the martial artist, see Grégory Tony.
Gregory Tony
17th Sheriff of Broward County
Assumed office
January 11, 2019
Appointed byRon DeSantis
Preceded byScott Israel
Personal details
Born1978/1979 (age 41–42)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
CitizenshipAmerican
NationalityAmerican
Political partyDemocratic[1]
Spouse(s)Holly Tony
ResidenceBroward County, Florida, U.S.
EducationBachelor Degree in Criminology Masters Degree in Criminal Justice
Alma materFlorida State University
Nova Southeastern University
Salary$189,000

Appointment as sheriff

Sheriff Gregory Tony was appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis on January 11, 2019, after Sheriff Scott Israel was suspended for mishandling both the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting and the Fort Lauderdale airport shooting. Replacing Israel was a campaign promise of DeSantis.[2]

Tony was recommended to DeSantis by Andrew Pollack, father of a girl killed in the Stoneman Douglas shootings, who was a chief supporter of DeSantis during his campaign. Other Parkland parents also supported Tony. A factor in his favor was that his business, Blue Spear Solutions, provides training on how to deal with active shooting situations, such as the two in Broward County.[2]

According to the Sun Sentinel, De Santis's vetting of Tony was "rushed".[2]

Vote of no-confidence

After one deputy died due to COVID-19 and 20 other deputies testing positive for the virus in April 2020, the deputies' union president criticized Tony over the lack of personal protective equipment for the officers and failing to respond to their memos about the situation. Afterwards, Tony suspended the union president and placed him under administrative investigation.[3] The Broward branch of the International Union of Police Associations announced a vote of no-confidence by its officers in Tony.[4]

On June 3, 2020, the deputies union wrote Governor DeSantis to formally request that Tony be removed, calling him unqualified and alleging that he "lied under oath".[5] The Governor took no action.[6]

1993 killing

In 1993 when he was 14 years old living in Philadelphia, Tony shot and killed his neighbor. He was initially charged as an adult with murder and held without bail pending a preliminary hearing.[7][8] Bail was eventually set at $15,000 at the hearing.[9] The case was transferred to juvenile court, where he was found not guilty after he maintained that the shooting was in self-defense. He did not disclose the shooting when he applied for law enforcement jobs. In his application for the Coral Springs Police Department, he answered no to "Have you ever been arrested, charged, received a notice or summons to appear for any criminal violation?", but Tony states he was not "technically" charged with a crime.[10] DeSantis did not know about the shooting prior to appointing Tony and it did not come up in a background check during vetting.[11][10] When asked about the shooting, Tony denied he was arrested, saying that he simply went to the police station to provide a statement and was allowed to leave with his father.[12][10]

Investigation opened

On January 7, 2020, Gregory Tony filled out a Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Affidavit of Applicant form. On this official document, Tony checked off no to the question of ever having a criminal record sealed or expunged. Tony asserts that since he does not have a criminal record, he filled out the form correctly. However, on May 8, 2020, FDLE announced the matter had been upgraded from an inquiry to an investigation.[13]

On May 19, 2020, it was discovered that in 2003, Tony applied to the Tallahassee Police Department. Ultimately, Tony was rejected for employment after admitting to using LSD. Tony then applied to the Coral Springs Police Department, at which time Tony omitted his drug use from his application.[14]

2020 election

Israel and Tony are the leading contenders for the sheriff position in the 2020 Democratic Party primary. In Broward County, winning the Democratic nomination virtually guarantees election.[15]

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References
  1. "Broward County Sheriff Bio". Archived from the original on 2019-08-28. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
  2. Swisher, Skyler (June 8, 2020). "Newly released records shed light on Gov. Ron DeSantis'hurried vetting of Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony". Sun Sentinel.
  3. Cohen, Howard (April 4, 2020). "BSO deputy dies of COVID-19. 'And we're probably going to lose another'". Miami Herald.
  4. Anwer, David Selig, Terrell Forney, Saira (2020-04-20). "Deputies vote no confidence in Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony". WPLG. Archived from the original on 2020-05-02. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
  5. Selig, David (June 4, 2020). "Broward deputies union asks Gov. DeSantis to remove Sheriff Gregory Tony". WPLG (local10.com).
  6. Swisher, Skyler (June 4, 2020). "Governor's office passes on union's request to oust Sheriff Gregory Tony". Sun Sentinel.
  7. Russel, Don (May 5, 1993). ""Joke" turned sour for 2 pals in North Phila". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 5.
  8. Gibbons, Thomas, Jr. (5 May 1993). "Suspect, 14, surrenders in killing of friend". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 18. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  9. "Teen Facing Slay Trial". Philadelphia Daily News. 13 May 1993. p. 14. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  10. Bryan, Susannah; Man, Anthony; Wallman, Brittany (2020-05-03). "Broward sheriff's race rocked by decades-old incident: When Gregory Tony was 14, he killed a man". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on 5 May 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  11. Dean, Mensah; Brennan, Chris (2020-05-06). "Fla. sheriff under scrutiny for not disclosing that he killed a man 27 years ago in Philadelphia". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  12. "Broward Sheriff Gives Details on Fatal Shooting When He was 14". NBC 6 South Florida. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
  13. Huriash, Lisa J. "State starts investigating Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony's paperwork". sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved 2020-05-09.
  14. Huriash, Lisa J. "Sheriff Gregory Tony was rejected for cop job after admitting LSD use. The next year, he left it off another application and was hired". sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
  15. Man, Anthony (January 17, 2020). "The clash between sheriff's candidates Scott Israel and Gregory Tony". Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on May 5, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
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